Elements of Power

Shrivel into crumbs
To build into that mountain
Covering the surface of unwanted sacrifices
Rocks into dust
To build the surface
Covering the ground of desired truths
Down to layer to touch the center
Eruptions creating disaster, up to the sky
To touch the mystery gathered for projection
Drip off the walls, asking for surrender
Tearing down the force, division of images
Praising for hope, building the foundation
The hidden siren calls to the army of protection
Gone with the differences, kept with uncertainties
Silence crosses the field of the lost and confused
Left with the similarities, stayed with the known
Apologizes arise down under
Rip up to invade
The peaceful land of forgotten happiness
Beaten down to the core of disgrace and sin
Acceptance beneath to the sky
Heal to protect
The universe of corruption and hatred
Built up to the stars of forgiveness and past
Visions of wonder and delight
Shadowed and embarked, definitions of detail
Crazing for the sight of the true words, containing the light
That can be the only thing to rise upon the unknown

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Editor’s Note

The number one question our editors receive is—what do the editors and judges look for when judging the contest? The number one answer we give is creativity. Unlike prose, writing composed in everyday language, poetry is considered a creative art and requires a different type of effort and a certain level of depth. Of the thousands of poems entered in each contest, the ones that catch our judges’ eyes are the ones that remove us, even just slightly, from the scope of everyday life by using language that is interesting, specific, vivid, obscure, compelling, figurative, and so on. Oftentimes, poems are pulled aside for a second look based simply on certain words that intrigued the reader. So first and foremost, be sure your poetry is written using creative language. Take general ideas and make them personal. In his infamous book De/Compositions: 101 Good Poems Gone Wrong, W. D. Snodgrass imparts, “We cannot honestly discuss or represent our lives, any more than our poems, without using ideational language.”